Official opening day for the Group's new headquarters
The new headquarters of Groupe BPCE, the two Towers designed by Jean Nouvel in the eastern quarters of Paris, have been officially inaugurated in the presence of the different stakeholders involved in their construction.
This event represents an iconic moment both for the city of Paris and for Groupe BPCE, the celebration of an architectural achievement in what has been, for more than 30 years, a constantly changing 13th arrondissement whose history is closely bound up with that of the Group, an arrondissement that witnessed both the birth and the subsequent development of Groupe BPCE.
Just over five years since the groundbreaking ceremony, Groupe BPCE is now inaugurating its new headquarters and the new ‘common home’ of its brands and companies. These two Towers are, above all, a veritable feat of architectural ingenuity: the brainchild of the architect Jean Nouvel, the two asymmetrical towers – one of which is tilted at an angle of 4.5 degrees – rise 122 meters above ground level for the West Tower and 180 meters for the East Tower (the third highest building in Paris after the Eiffel Tower and the Tour Montparnasse). Their construction is the fruit of contributions from a host of different building trades (an average of nearly 1,000 workers were present on the site at any one time) and the result of different expertise that wedded innovation with sustainability both in the construction as well as in the fitting out and running of the buildings (which are certified LEED Platinum, HQE Exceptionnel, Effinergie+, and WELL Platinum). The architects and project managers shared the same vision for the site with the investors (the Ivanhoé Cambridge real estate group and BPCE Assurances): that of a mixed-use complex, open to the city and to services – starting with the TOO Hotel designed by the Taïeb Group situated in the upper part of the West Tower.
For Groupe BPCE, the Towers also embody a new way of viewing work, a vision that combines new environments and new, hybrid working methods enabling employees to enjoy an optimal experience in terms of efficiency, well-being, and environmental responsibility. For the Group’s 9,000 employees who will ultimately be moving into the BPCE Towers in 2023, as well as for their colleagues at other Group sites, this inauguration marks the beginning of a new adventure and, certainly for the eastern quarters of Paris, a new landmark.
In the photo (from left to right): Emmanuel Grégoire, 1st Deputy Mayor of Paris, Laurent Mignon, Chairman of the Management Board of Groupe BPCE, Nathalie Palladitcheff, President & Chief Executive Officer of Ivanhoé Cambridge, Thierry Cahn, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Groupe BPCE, Frédérique Monjanel, Managing Director Ateliers Jean Nouvel, and Yves Boulu-Gauthier, Deputy General Director Vinci Construction France.